bhsgk

I am a saltwater beginner but I have been keeping freshwater tanks for a couple of years and recently acquired a 55 gallon tempered glass perfecto tank, the matching stand from perfecto(marineland) and a DIY canopy from the previous owner. After talking with the wife we settled on a FW cichlid tank because she likes the colors and I like the different species and varieties. After researching the fish,filter, and many other things for about a week or so I had finally settled on everything and was going to purchase everything on the next paycheck. Well last night my wife comes home and tells me that while on her lunch break at work she was sitting in the back by the tv and it just so happened to have Finding Nemo playing. Well the movie just started and it was the scene at the dentist office with the nano tank and she said that it looked nice and she wanted a saltwater tank as long as she can have a starfish, preferably pink.Thank you Disney for persuading my wife. Thus beginnith my tank.

Sorry for the long back story but here is my expected equipment list:

Tank: 48"x12"x20" The tank is tempered glass so no gl*******s.com kit for me

Sump: 23.5"x9.5"x16" custom made

Lighting: Tinkering with LED, but probably 150w Halide's and VHO's

Skimmer: SRO XP1000 Space Saver

Powerheads: 1 MP10w ES at first and eventually another one or an MP40w ES

Return pump: tunze 1073.02

Canopy: there is a DIY canopy on my tank already but I will probably have to work on it to get the lights in there high enough off the water

live rock/sand: 70lbs base rock from tampabaysaltwater.com and about 5lbs LR from a LFS and 40lbs Caribsea Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand and 2lbs of live sand from a LFS

Livestock: a starfish or two depending on species and size, a pair of ocelaris clownfish,maybe a wrasse, and maybe a goby, nothing too crazy in the beginning

Coral: something easy and hardy at first, maybe some kind of anemone for the clowns after everything settles down in a few months, and something green for my wife as that is her favorite color

Here is what I started with about 3 weeks ago:




then once I added the sand and water:




now with the rocks:




and now some crabs I caught just a few miles from my house to get some life in the tank while it cycles and my blue-green chromis who is really shy:








and now I wait for the cycle and to save up the money for the rest of my equipment list